Events

WHAT: Adam Sandler might not be everyone's cup of tea, but he must be his own. In 2002, the same year the comedian racked up acclaim for the understated comic drama "Punch Drunk Love," he also appeared as his usual absurdist idiot in "Mr. Deeds." 2007, the year of the Brooklyn native's gut-wrenching...

WHAT: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Take Jodeci, who in 2015 released "The Past, The Present, The Future," the first album from the R&B quartet since 1995. From the opening electronic beats of the first track ("Too Hot"), the sound is undoubtedly modern, and the voices of...

WHAT: Though Snoopy occasionally appeared to be a cold and unsympathetic beagle, creator Charles M. Schulz once summed up life as "Happiness is a warm puppy." Even if your own dog has gone commercial, you can still keep the giving spirit of the holidays alive. Orlando Brewing is partnering with...

Busch Gardens celebrates the holidays by erecting its own Christmas Town, a place to meet Santa and, this year, Rudolph of red-nose reindeer fame. The area is garnished with 2 million twinkling lights, and is the home to shows such as "Christmas on Ice" and "Carol of the Bells" light show. WHERE:...

For someone who's always so down on his luck, Charlie Brown has never been cooler. Cool might be an understatement, actually. The lovable Charles Schulz character is downright cold as he comes to life at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in the one form that might not survive a Florida...

"Marley was dead," intones actor Timothy Williams, sonorously beginning Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." But within a few lines, "A Christmas Carol" has been trashed by his castmates, and Orlando Shakespeare Theater's latest revival of "Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)" is off and...

Hispanic Federation, a national nonprofit aimed at strengthening Latino families and organizations, has organized a five-day festival in Orlando to honor victims of the Pulse shooting. FuerzaFest opened Wednesday with a workshop on discrimination and violence in the Latino and gay communities....

WHAT: The popular "Naked Boys Singing!" musical revue returns to Orlando's Parliament House with its mix of 16 original songs, six men and an extremely limited costume budget. As conceived by Robert Shrock, the guys perform mostly in the buff — but not in a pornographic way. Musical numbers range...

The Humor Mill Orlando pokes fun at this merriest time of year with its third annual holiday-themed show, "Chain Letters to Santa." The sketch-comedy troupe, which has performed at the Orlando Fringe Festival, mixes musical parodies into its comic bits. Making an appearance will be Santa himself,...

WHAT: Conquer Pro Wrestling's "We Don't Play Fight" returns for a one-night event that includes a holiday toy drive for Orlando's Florida Hospital for Children. Combining wrestling and drama, the show tells the story of a small-time wrestling club that gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove...

Latest concert news

Comedian Nick Swardson grew up watching Adam Sandler, David Spade and Rob Schneider on NBC's sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live." Now he's part of the act. The initial surrealness has worn off after 10 years, but Swardson still loves watching them — particularly Sandler — perform. "When...

When the Doobie Brothers roll into Orlando on Wednesday, Nov. 16, fans can be pretty sure of what they're going to get. "I think you've gotta stay true to whatever made you where you are now," says singer Tom Johnston. The California songwriter's simple philosophy has guided him through more than...

On Tuesday morning Beyoncé became the lead nominee for next year’s Grammy Awards. The accolades came just a few months after “Formation” caused national outrage. The single — in which she proudly sings “I like my Negro nose” — sparked controversy with its provocative music video. The artist was...

Latest movie releases

A festival circuit refugee from 2015, "Man Down" is a genuinely sad film, intentionally and unintentionally. It tells the story of Gabriel, played with 106-degree fever intensity by Shia LaBeouf, a loving husband and father who enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps and lands in the thick of war in Afghanistan....

If a movie's central narrative hook is hanging right there, in the middle of a coming-attractions trailer already seen online and in multiplexes by millions, are we really going to get hung up on what's a spoiler and what isn't? In the swank but waxy new World War II-era Robert Zemeckis film "Allied,"...

Featuring songs by "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, the new animated musical adventure "Moana" is Disney's first princess-with-an-asterisk offering since "Frozen." The "Moana" score's signature power ballad, "How Far I'll Go," may well take its rightful place alongside the earlier film's...

In calling "Bad Santa 2" the feel-bad movie of the season, let me be clear: I don't mean that it revives the rude-and-crude fun of the original hit, which turned the traditional Christmas film on its head. I mean the opposite. Trying to recapture that dark magic doesn't work the second time around....

Attraction news

Actors Warwick Davis and Matthew Lewis will be participating in the 2017 edition of A Celebration of Harry Potter, a three-day event at Universal Studios theme park. Lewis played Neville Longbottom in all eight of the “Harry Potter” films. He’s also seen in the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey...

Expect to heft — not simply pick up — the menu at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. The newest restaurant at Universal's CityWalk delights fans with its decadent desserts and candy store, but its kitchen serves up everything from quiche to filet mignon. You can still get your...

I like the shopping trend of purchasing experiences over objects. It applies readily to theme parks and attractions, most of which have gift cards for admission or extras. But if you or yours are hot to physically unwrap a gift found underneath the tree, there's certainly no shortage of merchandise,...

Arts and theater events

Need a gift for the arts lover in your life? Sorting through the mail that crosses my Orlando Sentinel desk has yielded these gift ideas that feature Central Florida connections. The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art is celebrating its 75th year, and in honor of that milestone, the museum...

Back in July, a galaxy's worth of Broadway stars descended on Orlando to help the community heal and raise funds in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. "From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert for Orlando," which took place at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts,...

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra went for drama in an enjoyable performance Saturday night. How dramatic was it? Well, as music director Eric Jacobsen said, "Of all the concerts to forget my pants..." OK, the maestro wasn't actually pants-less. Sporting what appeared to be charcoal-colored skinny...